The Microbiology of Oil Sands Tailings

Dear Colleagues:

The study of microbes associated with surface-mined oil sands tailings and reclamation of disturbed mine sites is relatively new, but the magnitude of this resource development has highlighted the environmental and industrial importance of microbial activities in situ. Early studies described diverse microbiota in process-affected water and anaerobic strata of tailings ponds. Subsequent research revealed the impact of microbial activity on aspects of tailings generation and management, including during reclamation of sites disturbed by surface mining of oil sands ores. Areas of interest include:

• Sources, diversity, and roles of microbes in the native ore formations;
• Generation or mitigation of chronic toxicity of formation water and process waters (e.g., naphthenic acid production or biodegradation);
• Aerobic and anaerobic biodegradation of diluent and bitumen hydrocarbons;
• Mobilization and immobilization of trace elements in tailings;
• Biogeneration and release of greenhouse gases (e.g., methane) from tailings ponds, and mitigation via methanotrophy;
• Accelerated settling of suspended fine materials in processed waters;
• Accelerated densification and de-watering of mature fine tailings;
• Biogeochemical element cycling at the water–sediment interface;
• Production of hydrogen sulfide from tailings;
• Mitigation of volatile organic carbon emissions;
• Acidification potential of treated tailings exposed to air;
• Effects on remediation and reclamation strategies such as end-pit lakes and wetlands;
• Reclamation of disturbed mine sites and establishment of microbial communities as indices of soil productivity (e.g., carbon and nitrogen transformations);
• Soil microbiome changes associated with establishing sustainable boreal landscape
• Microbiome of process affected water during reclamation;
• Soil microbiome in reconstructed soils after oil sands exploitation.

For this Special Issue, we invite manuscripts that provide novel insights into understanding microbial biodiversity, biogeochemical activities, and environmental impacts associated with oil sands tailings from native ore formations, to processing and tailings deposition, to remediation and reclamation. Papers describing new and emerging areas of oil sand microbiology are encouraged.

Dr. Julia M. Foght
Dr. Tariq Siddique
Guest Editors

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